Coding and routing apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CODING AND DISTRIBUTING ARTICLES SUCH AS MAIL PIECES IS PROVIDED WHICH IS SUBJECT TO SEMIAUTOMATIC OR AUTOMATIC OPERATION. IN ONE FORM OF THE INVENTION, FLAT ARTICLES SUCH AS ENVELOPES AND CARDS ARE FED, ONE AT A TIME BY SELECTION MEANS, FROM A SUPPLY OR STACK THEREOF, TO A READING STATION. AN OPERATOR, AFTER READING THE IDENTIFICATION MEANS SUCH AS THE ADDRESS ON THE FACE OF EACH CARD OR ENVELOPE, OPERATES A BANK OF PUSHBUTTON SWITCHES RO OTHER MEANS FOR APPLYING A DESTINATION CODE TO AN EDGE AREA OF THE MAIL PIECE. THE APPARATUS MAY ALSO INCLUDE MEANS FOR APPLYING ERASABLE RECORDING MATERIAL SUCH AS MAGNETIC RECOREDING MATERIAL AS A TAPE OR FILM TO A PREDETERMINED AREA OF EACH MAIL PIECE EITHER WITH THE CODE DEFINING THE MAIL PIECE OR ITS DESTINATION RECORDED ON SAID APPLIED MATERIAL OR TO BE RECORDED THEREON AFTER IT IS APPLIED. IN ANOTHER SYSTEM, ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTERS PRINTED ON THE FACE OF THE MAIL PIECE OR A LABEL APPLIED THERETO ARE AUTOMATICALLY READ BY A DOCUMENT CHARACTER SCANNER WHICH PROVIDES A CODE OUTPUT SIGNAL WHICH IS USED TO MODULATE A MEANS FOR RECORDING CHARACTERS OR CODES ALONG A PREDETERMINED BAND AREA OF THE MAIL PIECE. THE APPARATUS ALSO INCLUDES IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STRUCTURES OF THE CONVEYING, SCANNING AND CODING EQUIPMENT UTILIZED THEREIN. MEANS FOR MODIFYING THE APPARATUS FOR CODING AND SCANNING PACKAGES OTHER THAN FLAT ENVELOPES OR CARDS ARE ALSO PROVIDED.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Jerome H. lemelson Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher 85 Rector St., Metuchen, 3.108840 [21] Appl. No.665.526

gg 8-7 ABSTRACT: An apparatus and method for coding and distributingarticles such as mail pieces is provided which is subject tosemiautomatic or automatic operation. In one form of [54] CODING ANDROUTING APPARATUS AND the invention, flat articles such as envelopes andcards are fed, METHOD one at a time by selection means, from a supply orstack [8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs thereof, to a reading station. Anoperator, after reading the identification means such as the address onthe face of each 521 U.S. Cl 209/1ii.7, card or envelope, operates abank of pushbumn Switches or 1 250/219 340/!74' l 346/74 other means forapplying a destination code to an edge area of [5 I] Int. Cl ..B07C5/342, the ma piece The apparatus may 1 include means f 5/344 plyingerasable recording material such as magnetic recording [50] Fleld ofSearch 209/72 material as a tape or m to a predetermined area of each n(MSD)' 111:, ll3i235/(1nqu1red);340/1741 piece either with the codedefining the mail piece or its (G); ws/(lnqmred)? 97/53; 346/74 (MP);destination recorded on said applied material or to be 7 250/223 219(Doc) recorded thereon after it is applied.

In another system, al hanumeric characters rinted on the [56] Referencescued face of the mail piece of a label applied thereto are automati-UNITED STATES PATENTS cally read by a document character scanner whichprovides a 2,609,928 9/1952 Doust 209/72(MSD) code output signal whichis used to modulate a means for 2, 12/1954 51am 2 recording charactersor codes along a predetermined band 2,891,467 6/1959 Keilig 209/72(MSD)area ofthe mail piece. 3,040,323 6/1962 Brenner.... 209/1 1 1.8X Theapparatus also includes improvements in the structures 3,1 52.256 1 /164 Z 209/111.7X of the conveying, scanning and coding equipment utilized3,295,652 l/1967 Sasaki 197/53 therein. 3,309,711 3/1967 Sorrells209/72(MSD) Means for modifying the apparatus for coding and scanning3,368,672 2/1968 Heaney 209/1 1 1.8 packages other than flat envelopesor cards are also provided.

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CODING AND ROUTING APPARATUS AND METHOD A number of methods are knownfor the scanning and sort ing of cards and pieces of mail for filing ordistributing same and retrieving a selected unit. It is known, forexample, to punch holes in a card and to drive said card through ascanning device including electrical contact or optical scanning meanswhich is operative to generate one or more codes indicative of theidentification of the card. Such punchings or cutouts are generallyprovided longitudinally along the face of the card and suffer a numberof shortcomings. It is obvious that cutouts cannot be utilized for thecoding or sorting of envelopes such as mail. Such coding and sorting isgenerally effected by printing alpha numeric characters or a train ofnumbers which are electrooptically scanned by a device reading the faceof the envelope. In the latter arrangement, various shortcomings arealso experienced, one of which includes the necessity of separatingstacked envelopes and properly disposing same with respect to thereading device which generally comprises one or more banks ofphotomultiplier tubes or reading heads. Unless all characters arepredeterminedly positioned on the face of the envelope, a conditionwhich is generally very difficult to attain in an automatic sortingsystem applied to mail and the like, the reading device requires arelatively complex means for aligning its optical system or the envelopeso as to permit reading the proper line of characters while ignoringother characters associated with other information on the face of theenvelope. Another shortcoming includes, in addition to separatingenvelopes from a stack thereof, various problems involved in readingenvelopes of different sizes, positioning envelopes so that theinformation-bearing face is in the direction of the electro-opticalscanning means, and assuring that the envelope is in the proper attitudewhere typewritten characters are to be read.

Furthermore, conventional electrooptical character-reading equipment isrelatively complex and quite expensive to manufacture and use as itrequires very sophisticated electrical logic circuitry.

It is, accordingly, a primary object of this invention to provide a newand improved record-scanning system of simple structure and operation.

Another object is to provide a coding, sorting and scanning systemapplicable for the automatic distribution of record cards, pieces ofmailand the like.

Another object is to provide an improved system for scanning and codingoblong, flat objects such as envelopes and cards which system operatesby coding and scanning an area along the edge or edge border of eachmember which may be easily positioned to effect the scanning of saidarea without the need for relatively complex conveying and scanningapparatus,

Another object is to provide a new and improved apparatus for scanningcoded cards and envelopes which is relatively inexpensive and simple tooperate.

Another object is to provide a cardand envelope-scanning apparatus whichdoes not require complex means for locating identifying codes and may beoperated without the use of complex logic circuitry for determining saidcodes.

Another object is to provide an improved system for coding and sortingmail which is relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated.

Another object is to provide an improved method and apparatus for codingpieces of mail, such as envelopes and cards, by employing the force ofgravity to align the lower edge of said mail with a coding means andalso utilizing gravity for alignment during reading, thereby eliminatinga substantial amount of equipment ordinarily needed for providing codedcharacters on the face of an envelope and thereafter aligning saidenvelope characters with a reading device,

Another object is to provide a new and improved apparatus and method forcoding and routing packages, pallets and other objects having analignable straight edge portion.

Another object is to provide an improved routing apparatus for articlessuch as mail pieces including means for applying coding or recordingmeans for coding in the form ofa coating, film or tape such as magneticrecording material.

Another object is to provide improved rotary means for applying variableseries codes to stationary articles or articles moving therepast.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for coding articlesin a manner to permit simple reading of the applied codes by sprayapplication of coding or codable material on predetermined areas ofsaidarticles.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus for coding andidentifying articles by recording codes on said articles with amodulated intense radiation beam such as a light beam generated by alaser operative to discolor or burn codes in the surface strata of thearticles.

With the above and such other objects may hereinafter more fully appear,the invention consists of the novel constructions, combinations andarrangements of parts as will be more fully described and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes,variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within thescope ofthe invention as claimed.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic diagram illustrating an articlecoding, reading and routing system which is particularly applicable tothe routing of mail pieces and information-bearing cards;

FIG. 2 is an end view of one type of conveyor for oblong flat articlesof the type conveyed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view with parts broken away for clarity of a modifiedform of the feed and conveying means of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of one form of piece conveyed by the apparatus ofFIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a side view of another form of piece conveyed by the apparatusof FIGS. 13; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of another form of piece which may be codedand conveyed by apparatus of the type described.

FIG. 7 is a side view with parts broken away for clarity of a portionofa wheel-device operative for recording series codes along a band areaof a card, envelope, box, tape or other article.

In FIG. 1 is shown part of a system for automatically coding and routingarticles such as envelope and card mail pieces. However, the systemillustrated in FIG. I is also applicable to the coding and routing ofpackages by utilizing most of the scanning, coding and conveyingtechniques provided therein.

The coding and sorting or routing system 10 includes a first means 11such as a feeding bin or other suitable storage means for a plurality ofmail pieces or cards which are individually designated by thealphabetical character E. The pieces E to be coded and routed may behorizontally or vertically stacked within the bin or feed magazine 11 inaccordance with known designs, one such magazine being illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 2,891,467 as containing means for feeding individual mailpieces to an outflow conveyor.-In FIG. 1, the mail pieces E are fed in ahorizontal stack and the endmost piece is disposed against apower-driven conveyor belt 12 which, cooperates with a feed mechanism 12which is powered together with the belt 13 by a controlled electricmotor 14 which operates intermittently to feed individual mail pieces orcards onto a conveyor 15 leading to a conveyor 19 at the coding station20. Conveyor 15 is intermittently driven by a controlled electric motor16, which like motor 14, is preferably a gear motor and has respectivestart and stop controls designated F and S which may comprise the inputsto a pulse-operated bistable switch feeding electrical energy to theinput of said motor. Motor 14 may be similarly operated, although inFIG. I, is illustrated as having a single control line input thereto forpulsing the motor control comprising part of the unit 14, which controlis operative when so energized to cause the motor and the mechanismdriven thereby to operate in a single cycle for releasingjust one cardor mail piece E from bin 11 to the conveyor 15 as provided, for example,in the Recordak 300 Stock-Reader for feeding cards to a reader.

The conveyor is operative, as illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 2,to convey the lower edge 73 of a card or envelope along a predeterminedpath or line so that said lower edge will be properly disposed forapplying a code recording or marking therealong or on the border areaadjacent said edge as will be hereafter described. Thus, regardless ofthe height and length of the envelope, all envelopes will contain a codesorting or destination recording along their lower edges or borderswhich may be easily read for sorting purposes by predeterminatelypositioning and conveying each piece with the lower edge thereoftravelling along the same path as the lower edges of all other pieces.

A photoelectric detector 17 is disposed immediately adjacent conveyor 15and is operative to detect the leading edge 731 of a piece E travellingalong conveyor 15. The photoelectric controller 18 for the cell orscanning system 17 is opera tive to generate an output pulse upondetecting said leading edge which pulse is fed to the stop control S ofmotor 16 which temporarily stops conveyor 15 positioning the piece to becoded thereon while awaiting release of the piece downstream thereofwhich is being scanned and coded.

Monitor station 20 includes a monitor screen which provides an enlargedimage of the address 75 on the face of the card or envelope E when thelatter is disposed in the scanning field of a television camera 33having its picture signal output 34 connected to the 'video receivercontaining the monitor screen 30. Thus the operator of the station mayeasily view the state and city destination printed or written as part ofthe address 75 of the card, permitting him to properly code the loweredge of the card.

The monitor station 20 includes a console 20C having, in addition to themonitor screen 30, a single pushbutton cycle control switch 29 and apanel 26 containing a plurality of pushbutton coding switches 265. Byproperly depressing the banks of coding switches 26S, paralleldestination codes are generated on the outputs 27 thereof which extendto a shift register 28 for converting the parallel codes to a seriescode which is held therein until an input 32' to the shift register isenergized after which the series code is fed to activate a recordingdevice 24 which records the series code along the lower border or edgeof the piece E.

Upon activating cycle control switch 29, a control signal is generatedon a plurality of circuits including a circuit extend ing to the controlof the motor-operated device 14 for releasing the next piece from thebin 11, the start control F of motor 16 for driving the piece held uponconveyor 15 to conveyor 19, the start control F of motor 25 for drivingconveyor 19 to remove the previously coded piece therefrom ontocontinuously driven conveyor 35 and a delay relay 32 in the line 32'leading to the trigger input of the shift register 28. A delay in theoperation of the shift register'is so provided to permit the leadingedge of the piece E to be coded to pass the recording transducer 24.After recording is effected, the piece is transferred from conveyor 19to conveyor 35 which leads to a plurality of branch conveyors,designated 40, 41, etc. onto one of which the piece is conveyed ordeflected by means to be described.

Edge or border coding of each piece on the conveyor 19 may be effectedin one of a number of manners depending upon the marking or recordingsystem provided. in FIG. 1, an automatic, motor-operated applicator 21for recording material has its output closely disposed to thepredetermined path along which each piece is conveyed on conveyor 19 andis operated by a signal generated by a time delay relay 31 which isactivated when the cycle start control switch 29 is activated. in otherwords, at some time after the piece E has been started in movementtowards conveyor 19 from conveyor 15, the applicator device 21 dispensesa recording material by spraying or rolling same along the lower edge orborder of the mail piece as it passes said applicator. In one form ofthe invention, the recording material may comprise magnetic oxide whichis roller or spray coated along said edge or border or is otherwiseapplied thereto as the piece is fed past the applicator on conveyor 19.

A photoelectric detector 22 detects the leading edge of the piece E andits control 23 generates a pulse output to the stop control S of motor25 which predeterminately positions the piece in the scanning field ofthe video camera 33. The operator of the station 20 reads the address 75on the face of the piece E and, either mentally or by reference to achart, sets up the necessary address or selection code by properlydepressing the switches 265 on the control panel 26. Thereafter, thecycle is repeated when the operator depresses start cycle control switch29 after which the recording transducer 24, which may comprise amagnetic recording head, is engaged or rolled against the roller edge orborder of the piece E containing the recording material provided bydevice 21. The motor 25 is operated to remove the piece E from conveyor19 onto conveyor 35 until the photoelectric detector 22 detects theleading edge of the next card whereupon motor 25 is stopped by pulsingthe stop input S thereof.

The piece E may be stored downstream of conveyor 19 in the event that itis a card to be edge coded or, if it is a mail piece it may be conveyedon conveyor 35 past a magnetic reproduction transducer 36 operative toengage the magnetic recording material disposed along the lower edge orborder thereof and to reproduce the code provided as a recorded pulsetrain along said lower portion of the piece. The output of reproductiontransducer 36 is passed to an amplifier 37 which generates a series codeon its output which extends to a logical switching circuit controller 38which controls a servo 39 operating a gate or deflection means 39' forproperly gating the piece to one ofa plurality of branch conveyors 40,41, etc. for properly routing the piece E along that path which isindicated by the code provided on its lower edge and reproduced byreproduction transducer 36.

In FIG. 1, notation ps refers to a power supply for electricallypowering the switches, controls and motor device 30 associated with themonitor and coding switch controller 20C for generating the describedcontrol and code signals on the outputs thereof. It is assumed thatsuitable power supplies are provided on the proper sides of allswitches, controls and motors illustrated in FIG. 1, such not havingbeen illustrated therein for the purpose of simplifying the drawings.

lt is noted that the recording material device 21 may be subject to anumber of variations depending on the coding, recording and scanningapparatus used in the system. For example, device 21 may adhesivelyapply coded or uncoded tape such as magnetic recording tape along aselected band area such as near or parallel to the lower edge of memberE. Printed or other optically scannable tapes or recording material maybe applied by suitable roller means comprising part of device 21 whichmay also contain recording means for the code operatively connected tothe code generating means described herein. Device 21 may also comprisea printing wheel for magnetic material or ink for applying machinereadable characters or codes along the piece E as it is driventherepast. Device 21 or the transducer 22 may also comprise means forburning a code along or parallel to the lower edge of members E orcontainers fed therepast.

lt is also noted that reading device 36 may be a photoelectric readingsystem such as employing a light reflected off an electroopticallyreadable code applied by one of the means defined herein.

While the monitor and coding station 20 is provided with manual codingand envelope transfer control means in the form of the switches 26S and29, it may also be operative in an automatic mode whereby the routingcodes are generated by electrooptically scanning the address lines 75printed on the mail pieces and generating a code by operating suitablecharacter recognition means. In this connection, the video camera 33 ora suitable auxiliary electro-optical scanner may be provided to scan theface of the mail piece containing the alphanumeric representation of theaddress destination on lines 75 thereof and to generate a video picturesignal output on line 34 which is passed to suitable computing circuitsincluding character recognition means defined by notation 43. A switch42 in the output line 34 of the video camera 33 may switch the videopicture signal from the monitor screen 30 to the computer 43 in theevent that, for example, all mail pieces E are provided with easilyrecognized characters such as typewritten or printed addresses which arepredeterminately positioned along the face of the mail piece. Paralleloutputs 44 of the computer 43 extend to the inputs to the shift register28 for transferring a parallel destination code as computed by thecircuits of computer 43 or a single output may extend from 43 directlyto the coding transducer 24. Another output 45 of the computer circuits43 may extend directly to the output of switch 29 for effecting thedescribed operational cycle. However, since the video camera or opticalscanning device 33 operates at relatively high speed to scan the face ofthe mail piece, containing the address thereon, such scanning device maybe effected on-the-fly without the need to stop individual pieces in thescanning field of the camera as described and the apparatus of thecamera may be operated in a manner to present mail pieces one behind theother and in constant motion of the described conveyors.

The automatic scanning means for identifying the document, envelope orpackage and/or determining its destination so as to provide a codedelectrical signal for controlling recording as described, may comprise aconventional electrooptical character reader adapted to read all linesof the address or label 75 and, by logical or other means, determine thedestination and/or other characteristics of the document for codingpurposes. In a preferred form, means may be provided for the reader toread just the last line of characters and preferably the last portion75Z thereof which may comprise the zip code. Suitable optical scanningmeans may be provided such as an electron beam scanning means adapted toscan laterally from or near the bottom edge of the envelope upwardlyuntil the last line of characters is identified and to generate a pulseoutput upon selecting said last line to control positioning of theline-scanning means to scan said last line only. If the envelope is fedlateral to its longitudinal edge 73 with said edge leading same, bymeans such as provided in my US Pat. No. 3,309,669 then the activationof any one of a plurality of photoelectric detectors, scanning the faceof the envelope and disposed in a line parallel to edge 73, may generatea signal when the last line 75Z of characters passes said cells and saidcontrol signal may be employed to stop the driving of the envelope andinitiate the movement of the scanning disc or beam to scan said lastline which may comprise the town and city or just the mail zip code perse. If the last line is just the zip code, the code output of thescanner may be a series of binary codes indicative of the zip code whichmay be recorded as described along the recording area of the envelope ormay be electronically converted to a single binary series codeindicative of the zip code number prior to being used to modulate therecording transducer. A suitable time delay relay may be employed toinitiate the motor driving the envelope from the reader onto, forexample, a conveyor of the type described such as edge travellingconveyor 35.

If an electron beam scanning means is provided to read the zip code 752,suitable logical switching circuitry may be provided to detect the lastline or zip code portion of the address 75 and cause the read beam ofthecathode ray tube scanner or other scanning means to read just said lastline or zip code or operate a gate to pass the modulated analog signaloutput of the read beam thereof derived in scanning said line or code toa suitable memory-computing means or means for converting said analogsignal to the suitable coded signal form used to modulate the describedmagnetic or optical recording means. If the zip code comprises the lastline of characters it may be read per se and the results applied to therecording transducer. If it comprises just the last part of the lastline, beam scanning from the right edge of the line until a gap appearsbetween the zip code and edge of the state address portion of the lastline, will determine the longitudinal limits of the zip code number andmay be used to generate signals indicative ofjust said zip code number.

Thus, it is seen that the apparatus defined in FIG. 1 may be operatedeither by a human being scanning individual mail pieces when said mailpieces contain a variety of addresses in printed or handwritten forms ofvarious configurations and locations or may be automatically operated ifthe mail pieces and their printed addresses are relatively uniform andcapable of electro-optical scanning. Switch 42 in the output line 34 maybe manually operated to define automatic or manual operation of thescanning and coding station.

The automatic scanning system defined by scanner 33 and computingcircuitry 43 may be operated in accordance with known address scanningand recognition equipment or that provided in my copending applicationSer. No. 622,650 which provides a reading disc for reading apredetermined line of a document or card driven past the scanner or bymoving the scanner past the document.

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred form of conveyor for edgewise conveyingthin oblong members E such as cards and envelopes to be coded. Thefeatures shown in FIG. 2 may be applied to any or all of the conveyorsl5, l9 and 35 of FIG. 1, The oblong card of mail piece E is disposed inthe channellike guideway defined by longitudinally aligned conveyorwheels 54 having outer surfaces which taper sharply inwardly asillustrated to provide wedgelike wells for the cards or envelopesresting on the upper surfaces thereof. The plurality oflongitudinallylined wheels 54 are rotationally supported in spacedapart relationshipby a channellike member 50 the sidewalls 51 and 53 of which contain ballbearings B which rotationally support the shafts 545 of the wheels 54.

The single concave, wedge-shaped roller 54 of FIG. 2 may also bereplaced or supplemented by a plurality of cylindrical rollers disposedwith their peripheral surfaces properly angled to the horizontal withalternate rollers of a line array of said rollers angled oppositely andpower rotated to provide the same lower edge aligning, guiding anddriving effect as the single rollers 54 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Other conveying means may also be provided to predeterminately align andguide the lower longitudinal edges of each envelope or card along apredetermined path for coding and reading same as described. Forexample, the horizontally angled surfaces defined by the inwardlytapering conical portions of the rollers 54 of FIG. 2 may be replaced bya pair of power driven flexible belts each angled properly upwardly anddriven in the same direction at the same speed with their lower edgesclose to each other or the lower edge of one abutting the upper surfaceof the other, to provide a guideway for the lower edge of each mailpiece. A single belt or pulley of resilient material, folded or having aV-shaped upper surface may also be utilized.

Turning again to FIG. 2, it is noted that said wheel shaft 545 extendsoutwardly through the bearings from the wall 51 and contains pulleys 58on the ends thereof which are rotated by a chain or belt 58' driven by apulley or sprocket on the shaft of motor 16 so that all wheels 54 rotatesimultaneously to drive the piece Etherealong.

Cantilevered on the sidewalls 51 and 53 of the channel 50 and extendingupwardly therefrom are a plurality of pairs of leaf spring membersdesignated 55 and 55' each ofwhich supports a pillow block designated 56and 56 which rotationally support respective wheels 57 and 57', theperipheries ofwhich are spaced apart a degree greater than the thicknessof the average piece E, although possibly less than the thickness of whmay be the heaviest gauge or thickest mail piece. Thus, while somedegree of lateral movement of the mail piece E may be effected betweenthe rollers 57 and 57' said mail piece will be guided thereby and, ifsaid wheels are power rotated by means such as that rotating wheels 54,further means will be provided for power driving the member E along itspredetermined path.

Since the lower edge of all pieces E is determined by the path definedby the low point of the groove or recess in the wheels 54, variousdevices such as the described magnetic recording and reproductiontransducers, recording material application means and edge detectionmeans may be provided between adjacent wheels 54 as illustrated in FIG.2 by the device 59 which is Supported by the bottom wall 52 of thechannel 50 and is re'movably secured thereto by means of adjusting nuts59' holding member 59 in a hole extending vertically through the bottomwall 52. If the exterior wall of member 59 is threaded, the end of thetransducer 59T secured thereby may be vertically adjusted by properadjustment and tightening of the adjustments nuts 59' against the wall52 of the channel. The transducer head 59T illustrated in FIG. 2 isoperative to scan or record on the lower edge of the piece E although itmay be so shaped to scan or record along either or both the border areasofE adjacent said lower edge. Similarly, the transducer, photoelectricdetector or recording material application means may be adjustablysupported by either or both of the sidewalls 51 and S3 of the channel 50for properly functioning as described.

FIG. 3 shows details ofa modified form of feeding bin 60 forindividually feeding mail pieces or cards to a conveyor leading to amonitor and coding station as described. Whereas in FIG. 1 the feedingbin 11 is operative to stack the mail pieces or cards E so that they maybe fed in a vertical attitude therefrom, the bin apparatus 60 of FIG. 3may be operated with the cards disposed in either a vertical orhorizontal stack or at an angle to the horizontal for coding with thecard vertically disposed as in FIG. 1 or lying on its side. The feedingmeans 60 of FIG. 3 includes a bin 61, the sidewalls of which arepreferably made of tubed metal sheet containing a plurality of tubeformations 62 each with a passageway 63 interconnected with thepassageways of the other tube formations or feeding pressurized air froman inlet 67 through a plurality of holes 64 which are angularly drilledin the walls of bin 61 so as to direct a plurality of airstreams againstthe uppermost piece of the stack of pieces to force said stack againstthe lower or far end wall 66 of the bin so that the lowermost or endmostpiece E is directed against a controlled belt conveyor 68 driven bymotor 14. Thus, whenever motor 14 is energized for a predeterminedperiod of time, piece E will be carried thereby between thepower-operated conveyor belts 69 and 70 which comprise conveyorcorresponding to the first output conveyor 15 of FIG. 1. Notation 71refers to a deflection plate for aligning and guiding one edge of eachmail piece fed to the conveyor 15'. Each piece E may be forced bygravity or wheels (not shown) rotated thereon, against the plate 71 asit is driven onto 15 to align all edges thereagainst for codingpurposes. From conveyor 15' the pieces are fed to the conveyor 19'corresponding to conveyor 19 of FIG. 1 and comprising a pair ofpower-operated endless belts 72 and 72 between which the aligned piece Eis driven. Disposed adjacent the edges of belts 72 and 72' are devices21, 22' and 24 corresponding in function to the recording materialapplicator 21, the photoelectric detector 22 and the recordingtransducer 24 of FIG. 1, each of which is so mounted to align its outputwith the edge or border of the card driven therepast as the conveyor 19'operates. The conveyors 68, 15 and 19 are intermittently andsequentially operated as described in the description of the apparatusof FIG. 1.

In FIG. 3, notation 65 refers to holes provided in the sidewalls of thebin 61 for laterally exhausting air injected downwardly through said binagainst the stack of mail pieces or cards through the holes 64.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate mail piece or card structures employingdifferent types of recordings along the edge or lower border portions ofthe pieces. In FIG. 4, the piece E is illustrated as an envelope or cardhaving multiple address lines 75 containing written or printed name anddestination characters and return address lines 75' disposed near theupper left-hand corner thereof. Disposed adjacent to the lower edge 73of the piece E along the margin or border portion 74 thereof is a strip,tape or coating of magnetic recording material which may be applied whenthe card or envelope is first fabricated, when it is addressed or by themeans provided in FIG. 1 which may comprise a spray nozzle, rollercoating wheel or applicator for a short length of magnetic tape; themagnetic recording material being generally defined by the notation 76and illustrated as extending from the leading edge 73 of the piece E asufficient distance along the lower marginal border 74 to permit thelongest serial code to be recorded thereon.

In FIG. 5 is shown an oblong thin member 75 such as an envelope or cardcontaining address lines 75 of characters on one face thereof and a code77 in the form of a plurality of spaced-apart, optically scannable marks78 of predetermined length and separated by nonmarked spaces 79 which,when scanned, also define a portion of said code. The marks 78 along theborder portion 74 of the piece E" of FIG. 5 may be provided along saidlower margin and/or across the the lower edge 73 thereof by one or moreselective recording means including a selectively operable array ofrotary mark printing devices such as selectively projectable andretractable printing cuts disposed at the ends of the spokes of a wheelthe periphery ofwhich rides against the edge 73 or border portion 74 ofthe member to be coated. The marks 78 may also be applied in the form ofa code by the selective pulsing of a solenoid which projects andretracts a printing cut or wheel against and away from said lower edge73 or margin or by the selectively operation ofa valve in the line ofasmall spray nozzle operative to spray apply printing ink or magneticrecording material to selected areas of the members E" such as the areasdefined by marks 78. The recording transducer may also take on otherforms and may include (c) a variable mask which is set up by bistablesolenoids connected directly to the outputs 27 of the pushbutton panel26 which mask may receive mark printing material from a spray head orroller coating means rolled thereagainst to provide the necessary codedarray or marks; (d) modulated intense beam radiation means such as anelectron gun or laser generating an intense beam, may also be employedto either burn selected portions of the border or margin 74 of theenvelope or selected portions of a recording material such as 76disposed therealong to provide the necessary scannable code recording.The latter described beam recording means may be controlled, forexample, by the series output code generated by shift register 28 ofFIG. 1 to provide a series optically scannable or otherwise readablecode of the type illustrated in FIG. 5.

The coding and sorting apparatus hereinabove described and illustratedin the accompanying drawings may be modified to code and sort articlesof manufacture such as boxes or containers of rectangular parallelepipedconfiguration or a configuration having at least one straight edge whichmay be predeterminately disposed with respect to both the code markingor recording means and the code scanning or reproduction means. In FIG.6, is shown a container 80 of rectangular configuration having asidewall 81 preferably, although not necessarily, containing an addresslabel 75'. The member 80 may comprise, for example, a boxed mail piece,product container or pallet. Means, such as illustrated in my copendingapplication Ser. No. 468,418, may be provided for conveying thecontainer 80 with its lower surface 83 disposed on a flight conveyor andthe sidewall 81 moving along a predetermined vertical plane so that theedge defined by the intersection of walls 81 and 83 will travel apredetermined lineal path. By such means, all containers having suchrectangular parallelepiped configurations, regardless of the height,width and depth of said containers, may be disposed on a conveyor sothat the edges or corners of each container corresponding to edge 84 ofFIG. 6 may all travel the same line path thus predeterminatelypositioning the marginal lower borders of either or both the side andbottom walls of the container with respect to a coating or markingmeans. Said coating or marking means may comprise anyone of thehereinabove described magnetic recording, printing, spray-applying ormodulated beam burning means. In FIG. 6 is shown a wheel 88 which isrotationally supported at the side of the belt conveyor 87 carrying thecontainer 80 and in a position such that the periphery of said wheelrides against a striplike portion 85 of the sidewall 81 adjacent theedge 84 of said container. Radially movable within the wheel 88 are aplurality of printing cuts or mark-applicating devices 89 each of whichis operated by a separate bistable solenoid disposed within the wheel.Each of said solenoids is operatively connected to a respective of theoutputs 27 of the bank of code switches 26s of FIG. I so that theprinting cuts may be selectively projected and retracted to apply marksin a coded array along the recording area 86 of the border 85 as thewheel 88 is rotated and either moves longitudinally along the wall ofthe container or rotates as the container is conveyed therepast.

Further downstream of the station having the code-applying wheel 88, maybe provided a magnetic or optical scanning transducer positioned closelyadjacent the conveyor 87 to scan the series or parallel code applied tothe margin 85 adjacent edge 84 of the container 80. The output of suchtransducer may be connected to means for deflecting the container 80onto a selected of a plurality of branch conveyors such as the meansprovided in FIG. 1 for routing envelopes or cards. The code wheel 88 ofFIG. 6 may also be replaced by a codemodulated radiation beam generatingmeans foperative to discolor or burn portions of the wall or recordingmaterial 86 disposed adjacent the edge 84.

Further details of the code-applying wheel 88 of FIG. 6 are illustratedin FIG.' 7 which is a side view thereof with parts broken away andsectioned for clarity. The printing wheel 88 comprises a disc-shapedhollow housing have upper and lower disc-shaped walls 96 and 97separated by a spacer ring 98 having a plurality of holes 98H extendingradially therethrough. The printing devices 89 comprise a plurality ofbistable solenoids 90 which are mounted on the bottom plate 97 inwardlyof the ring 98 and have their shafts 91 extending radially to holes 98H.Secured to each shaft 91 of each solenoid 90 is a retainer 92 for aprinting material 93 which printing material may be retracted so thatits outermost surface is below the peripheral surface 88 of the wheel 88when the solenoid 90 is retracted in one of its two bistable states.When the solenoid is pulsed or switched to its other bistable state, theprinting material 93 protrudes outwardly from the peripheral surface 88'of the wheel 88 and provides means for applying a code mark to a surfaceagainst which the peripheral surface 88' of the wheel is rolled. Each ofthe solenoids 90 has an input wire pair 94 extending inwardly towardsthe axis of rotation of the wheel 88 and through a hollow shaft 95 onwhich the wheel is mounted, said shaft extending to a drive means suchas a rotary solenoid or motor operative to roll said wheel against asurface such as any of the band areas 76, 78 or 86 of an envelope, cardor container as illustrated in FIGS. 4, and 6. The wires 94 may extendto an array of commutator and brush elements located on the shaft 95 ordirectly to respective code signal generating output means such as theoutputs 27 of the binary code generating pushbutton switches 268' of thebank.

the leading edge of the card assuming that the conveyor alongwhich thecard is driven is operated thereafter for a sufficient time interval topermit the wheel 88 to effect a cycle of operation against the memberbeing coded. In an alternate form of the invention, the wheel 88 may betranslated and rotated relative to the envelope, card or container whilethe latter is-' held stationary during a coding cycle.

The printing material 93 located at the end of the solenoid shaft maycomprise a self-inking printing cut or other suitable material whicheither contains it own ink supply or is fed a supply of ink from asource located within the retainer 92, shaft 91 or the housing of thesolenoid 90. A suitable material which contains sufficient ink toprovide thousands of printed impressions is a microporous plasticcontaining ink or magnetic recording material in the cells thereof. U.S.Pat. No. 2,777,824 describes a flexible plastic material may beformulated to encapsulate a variety of liquids such as inks which may bedispensed upon compression of the material against the surface and suchmaterial may be utilized for the printing material 93 of FIG. 7 asdefined in my Pat. application Ser. No. 391,882 entitled PrintingDevice.

It is noted that any suitable fast-drying printing ink or magneticrecording ink or magnetic recording ink may be dispensed from theperiphery of the wheel 88 along the edge or border area of a card, mailpiece, or container as described herein and illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6.The solenoids 90 may also be of the monostable type whereby electricalenergy applied to selected of said solenoids will be operative toproject the printing devices of each solenoid outwardly from theperipheral surface 88' of the wheel a suitable degree to permit spotmarks to be applied to a flat mail piece or container in a coded arrayas described depending on which of those solenoids are energized.

The arrangement illustrated in FIG. 7 may also be operative tomagnetically record a code on a strip of magnetic recording materialsuch as 76 of FIG. 4 by replacing the printing material 93 with arespective permanent of electromagnet which, when the shaft 91 of thesolenoid is projected, projects the magnet so that it will orient ordisorient the magnetic domains of the magnetic recording material as theperipheral surface 88 of the wheel is rolled thereagainst or will notaffect same when retracted into the openings 98H.

Further improvements to the described and illustrated apparatus mayinclude the following. The freewheeling wheels 57 and 57 of FIG. 2 maybe replaced by a plurality of opposed jets of air operative to supportthe mail piece E in a substantially vertical attitude as it is drivenalong the wheels 54 or to drive or assist in the driving of said mailpiece therealong.

The wheels 57 and 57' of FIG. 2 may also be replaced by a plurality ofendless, power-operated belts which are mounted on pivotted andspring-loaded arms equivalent to the cantilevered spring members 55 and55' of FIG. 2 for driving the mail piece E therebetween.

In FIG. 3 if the mail pieces E are fed vertically in horizontalattitudes in the bin 61 as illustrated in FIG. 3, they may be upended toattain the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 2 after they are fedonto the conveyor 68 by suitably designing conveyor 15 to receive thesingle mail pieces from 68 and eventually guide same to a verticalattitude. This may be effected by providing suitable pulleys and guidesfor the belts 69 and 70 to direct said belts from a substantiallyhorizontal attitude at the end of the conveyor which receives piecesfrom conveyor 68 to a substantially vertical attitude at or near the endthereof so that the envelopes or cards may be fed therefrom verticallyalong conveyor 19 to preposition their lower edges and permit coding andreading as described. Accordingly, conveyor 15 may be used to upend andfeed envelopes and cards to an aligned array of powered conveying wheelssuch as 54 either with the lower edge of each piece aligned with thebottom of the wheel indentation or smallest diameter or at differentheights thereabove so that gravity may be utilized to cause the piecesto drop into the center of the receiving wheels to align the lower edgesof said mail pieces. Depending on the maximum thickness of pieces to beconveyed, the slopes of the sidewalls of the depression in the wheels 54may be greater or less than that illustrated. In fact, by providingwheels 54 with very steep wall portions and sufficient differencebetween maximum and minimum diameters, the support means for the upperwalls of the envelopes or cards may be eliminated whereby each mailpiece is supported in a vertical or near vertical attitude, as it isdriven or conveyed, by the wheel per se.

Stationery intense radiation beam means such as a modulated light beamgenerated by a laser, an electron beam or other suitable beam generatedby means fixedly mounted with respect to the described conveyors may beused for recording ii i and/or reading codes disposed along or parallelto the lower edge of each mail piece or carton as the piece is driventherepast. Writing or recording codes or characters along said recordingarea may be effect by modulating the beam intensity to (a) burn anddiscolor the material such as paper comprising the piece, (b)discoloring or sensitizing a material applied as a spray or rollercoating thereon, (c) discoloring or sensitizing a recording materialapplied as a tape which has been disposed along a predetermined bandarea of the piece as described, (d) demagnetizing by heat selected areasof a domain oriented magnetic recording material applied as a tape orcoating rolled or sprayed onto the selected area of the piece, (e)burning one or more holes completely through the card, envelope orarticle fed past the beam-generating means to permit light to passtherethru for optical reading purposes or to permit switch contact meansor switch arm moving means to become activated as the piece passes thereading station, (f) burning selected areas of an opaque coatingmaterial such as a polymer disposed as a film over a reflecting materialor a metal tape or film applied to the recording area of the piece topermit electro-optical or electrical reading means to read saiduncovered areas by fixed transducers or scanners operative to scan saidpiece as it is driven therepast, (g) burning selected areas from anopaque coating in the form of a code or character area array uncoveringa reflex reflecting material disposed beneath said opaque coating topermit clectro-optical reading by photoelectric cell means receivinglight from a light beam directed against said uncovered reflexreflecting material, (h) burning away of selected areas or thedesensitizing of selected areas of luminescent material which is rollerprinted, stray applied or otherwise provided on the face of the piecesuch as on one or more postage stamps. With respect to the latterdescribed means for recording destination codes, it is noted thatpostage stamps or lables may be affixed to the surface of the piecewhich may have luminescent or sensitized material coating the entirearea thereof as a printing ink or applied along a border thereof andoperative to be burned off or desensitized as a series or parallel bitcode along spot areas thereof the described intense recording radiationbeam.

Such sensitive materials such as luminescent inks, magnetic ink,photosensitive heat developable material or the like, in addition tobeing applicable as a printed or sprayed stripe along the piece to becoded, the lable or stamp therefore, may also be applied to selectedspot areas of same in the form of a code by means such as hereinbeforedescribed and utilized per se for energizing suitable reading meanstherefore disposed and operative to read said code as described orotherwise. The means provided in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be utilized for theselective application of such sensitized or sensitizable materials toselected areas of the pieces being coded. if the material so applied isa magnetic recording ink, it may be sensitized or domain oriented forreading purposes by providing a suitable magnetizing transducer adjacentthe conveying means for the piece.

The term edgewise" as defined herein and used in the accompanying claimsis meant to include the area along the edge of a flat mail piece orcorner or edge of a container as well as a bandlike area extendingparallel to said edge and immediately adjacent and parallel thereto. inother words, said term is meant to encompass either the immediate edgearea of the piece and/or an area parallel thereto preferably, althoughnot necessarily including said edge area. As an important feature of thecurrent invention is the provision of means for predeterminatelyaligning the lower edge of the mail piece for predeterminately recordinginformation therealong, the term edgewise may also define a bandlikearea of each mail piece extending parallel to but spaced a distance awayfrom said lower edge on one face ofthe piece.

Further with respect to the device of FIG. 7, it is noted that theradially disposed solenoids '90 used for projecting and retracting thecode-applying means 93 may be replaced by respective piezoelectrictransducers, which when energized by a respective input signal appliedto each, expands the piezoelectric element and causes the code-applyingelement connected thereto to project a sufficient degree to bring it tobear against the surface of the member adapted to receive the code markthereof while operative to prevent said mark application when the signalis not present at said transducer. Conversely, such transducers may alsobe operative when electrically energized, to retract its code markapplying means. Such an array of piezoelectric transducers may also beoperative to project and retract permanent magnets into and out ofoperative range with a magnetic recording material applied as describedfor effecting pulse code recording thereon as the material and array ofsaid transducers and magnets move relative to each other. Saidtransducers and magnets may be provided in circular array of otherarrangement such as side-byside as a bank adapted to record a parallelbinary code along a band area of the recording member engagedsimultaneously by all projected transducers. The duration the energizingcode signals are applied to the piezoelectric elements will determinethe duration the recording elements are extended or retracted by thetransducers and said signal may be applied for as much as l-secondperiods or more or period of between a microsecond and a millisecond ora millisecond and a second depending on the type of code signals desiredto be recorded on the recording member and the relative speed of therecording member and the recording means.

lclaim:

1. Coding apparatus for articles having flat sidewalls such as mailpieces and the like comprising:

a. conveying means for feeding individual articles to be coded includingmeans operative to predeterminately position each article as it is fed,

b. selective recording means disposed adjacent said conveying means forproviding a digital code along the sidewall of an article presented tosaid recording means,

c. code-generating means having an output means operatively connected tosaid recording means for providing said codes on said article,

d. control means for said code-generating means operative upon becomingenergized to activate said recording means,

e. means for sensing a predetermined portion of an article as it is fedalong said guiding means,

f. said sensing means being operatively connected to said control meansand operative to activate said control means upon sensing the articlefor generating and effecting the recording of said code along a selectedarea of said flat sidewall ofsaid article.

2. Coding apparatus for oblong flat mail pieces with claim 1, includingmeans for individually feeding said mail pieces to be coded, one at atime to said conveying means and for feeding coded mail pieces from saidconveying means and means for prepositioning a longitudinal edge of eachmail piece as it is fed adjacent said recording means, means forpresetting said recording means to generate codes in sequence, inputmeans for said presetting means, sensing means operative to detect amail piece as it is fed, said presetting means including a code storagemeans connected to said code-generating means, said code-generatingmeans being connected to said recording means, and control means forcontrolling said code-generating means upon sensing the leading edge ofa mail piece to present said code at said recording means for recordingsame along said longitudinal edge after said sensing means senses a mailpiece.

3. Mail piece recording and routing apparatus in accordance with claim1, said conveying means including means for predeterminately aligningindividual envelopes in substantially vertical attitudes so as topreposition the lower edges of each envelope and guide same along apredetermined path, said recording means being operative to record adestination code along a marginal area near the lower edge of eachenvelope prepositioned by said conveying means, means for generatingsaid destination codes in sequence, means for presenting individualenvelopes in sequence to said recording means and means for recording aspecific code edgewise along each envelope after it is prepositionedwith respect to said recording means. v v

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 whereby said recording means isoperative to record a destination code directly along the edge of eachenvelop as it is fed therepast.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including means for magneticallyrecording a code edgewise along mail pieces and magnetic pickup meansoperative to read said magnetically recorded code, routing means forpredeterminately routing mail pieces along a selected of a plurality ofpaths, said routing means operatively connected to said magnetic pickupmeans and responsive to the code signals generated thereby in readingthe magnetic'recordings for predeterminately routing envelopes alongselected ofa plurality of different paths.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 including means for applyingmagnetic recording material edgewise along each mail piece as it is fedalong said conveying means.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said means forproviding magnetic recording material includes said recording means andsaid recording material is deposited parallel to the edge ofeach mailpiece in the form ofa code.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said recording means includingprinting means operative to deposit printing material in the form ofaseries code edgewise along each mail piece.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, said printing means comprisinga printing wheel operative to roll its peripheral surface along the edgeof an envelope, and means for providing fluid printing material alongthe peripheral surface of said printing wheel in the form of a codedarray of depositable marking means.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9, said printing wheel having aplurality of radially disposed printing cuts and means for selectivelyprojecting and retracting each of said printing cuts so as toselectively present certain of said cuts at the peripheral face of saidwheel whereby imprint marks thereof may be deposited on a surface as thewheel rotates and selectively retracting others of said cuts below thesurface of said wheel so as to prevent the marking thereof and providemarks in a coded array along a surface swept by the periphery of saidwheel.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said recording means includingspraying means for spray applicating coding material along apredetermined area of the surface ofsaid mail pieces.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 whereby said mail piecesinclude a plurality of boxlike containers with each container having atleast one longitudinal substantially straight edge, means for aligningsaid containers whereby said straight line edge of each is disposedalong a predetermined linepath and means predeterminately positionedwith respect to said straight lined path for recording a scannablerouting code parallel to said aligned edge of each container.

13. Coding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said codegeneratingmeans comprising a plurality of manually operable key switches forsetting up said code, means for storing the code set up by hand, andmeans operative in response to a signal from said sensing means forreading out said code and energizing said recording means to record saidcode along a selected area of the article sensed.

14. An apparatus in accordance with claim 13, said articles havingrespective straight edges and means for prepositioning and guiding anarticle with a straight edge thereof prepositioned by said conveyingmeans with respect to said recording means, whereby said recording meansscans a strip area ofthe flat wall of said article which area extendsparallel to said straight edge.

15. An apparatus in accordance with claim 14, whereby said predeterminedstrip area of said article contains magnetic recording material and saidrecording means is a transducer operative to effect digital recordingson said magnetic recording material.

l6. Coding apparatus for mail pieces, such as envelopes, and the likecomprising:

conveying means for guiding and feeding envelopes along a predeterminedpath and including a plurality of aligned rollers disposed and shaped toreceive the lower longitudinal edge of each envelope and to guide theenvelope with said lower edge travelling a predetermined path, means forpower rotating said rollers,

selective recording means disposed adjacent said conveying means forproviding a digital code along the sidewall of an envelope presented tosaid recording means, code-generating means having an output meansoperatively connected to said recording means for providing said codeson said envelope,

control means for said code-generating means operative upon becomingenergized to activate said recording means,

means for sensing a predetermined portion of an envelope as it is fedalong said guiding means,

said sensing means being operatively connected to said control means andoperative to activate said control means upon sensing an envelope forgenerating and effecting the recording ofa code along a selected area ofa wall of said envelope, I

17. An apparatus for applying codes to mail pieces, such as envelopesand the like, comprising:

first conveying means operative to align, guide and feed individualenvelopes along a predetermined path with a straight edge portion ofsaid enve'lopedisposed parallel to said predetermined path,

said conveying means including a plurality of aligned rollers disposedand shaped to receive the lower longitudinal edge of each envelope andto guide said envelope from roller to roller, power means for drivingsaid rollers, code-generating means disposed adjacent said conveyingmeans for applying an identifying code to an area ofeach envelope whicharea is predeterminately located with respect to said straight edgeportion of said envelope,

means for sensing the leading edge of each envelope as it is fed alongsaid conveying means,

means for generating signals for controlling said coderecording means,control means for said code-generating means, said sensing means beingoperatively connected to said control means for activating same aftersensing the leading edge of an envelope to generate a code forenergizing said recording means to effect the recording of said code onan area of the envelope which is predeterminately located with respectto said straight edge portion thereof, and

further conveying means operative to feed and guide the same straightedge portion of an envelope fed along said aligned rollers of said firstconveying means,

reading means including a reading transducer disposed adjacent saidfurther conveying means for scanning said predeterminately located areaof each envelope containing said identifying code so as to read saidcode and generate routing signals,

said further conveying means having a plurality of paths located beyondsaid reading means, and

routing means operative in response to the codes read by said readingmeans to predeterminately route each piece as determined by the coderead from the recording on said predetermined area thereof.

18. An apparatus in accordance with claim 17 wherein said signalrecording means is disposed between two of said aligned rollers andcomprises at least one rotationally supported power operated rollermeans including at least one code applying roll having a surfaceoperative to engage the predetermined area of each piece as it is movedrelative thereto, a plurality of projectable and retractable code markapplicators disposed within said code-applying roll, selectivelyoperable means for projecting and retracing each applicator so as tosaid pieces, said selectively operable means being responsive to signalsgenerated by said reading means to condition said applicators in propercoded array prior to applying code marks to a piece

